ORANGEBURG, S.C. – North Carolina A&T’s offense came alive Friday afternoon in a 9-0 win over S.C. State in softball action at the Lady Bulldog Complex. It was the second game of a doubleheader, where the Aggies lost the first game 6-4.

Freshmen Alejandra Barcenas and Alexiss Dominguez drove in two runs apiece in the second game. Junior Dominique Smith went 2-for-2 with two runs scored.

It was the Aggies (3-20, 1-1 MEAC) first conference win of the season as they game ended after five innings because the Aggies led by more than eight runs.

A&T took over the game in the third inning as they loaded the bases with the first three batters of the inning. Junior Detavia Keenan unloaded the bases with an RBI sacrifice fly to center field to score the Aggies first run. With runners at second and third, Barcenas and Tranea Jones put together back-to-back RBI singles to give the Aggies a 3-0 advantage.

Barcenas later scored on a dropped fly ball by S.C. State center fielder Kandyce Ranew. Dominguez had the biggest blow of the inning, her two-run RBI single scored Jones and Jax Kaye Woodard to give the Aggies a 6-0 lead. It was all A&T starter Shelby Snyder needed. She pitched a two-hit shutout, while striking out one.

A seventh-inning rally by A&T would fall short in the first game. With the Aggies trailing by five, Dominguez came on as a pinch-hitter for Smith. She reached second on an error by right fielder Taylor-Anne Harris. Dominguez stole third and scored on a one-out fielding error by Harris. Jones then stepped up and doubled to right to move the Aggies to within three, at 6-3, as Barcenas scored.

After Woodard made the second out in the inning, Sabrina Edmonds singled to left to score Jones and cut the Bulldogs lead to two. But Keenan popped up to the catcher to end the game.

Jones went 2-for-4 for the Aggies. It was tough outing for senior A&T starter Ashira Dobison. She saw her defense make six errors behind her. Only one of the six runs she surrendered was earned. Those mistakes helped the Bulldogs take a 6-0 lead going into the sixth inning. Edmonds would score the Aggies first run of the game on a dropped fly ball in the visitor’s sixth.